


Disciple of Primus

by CyberFemme



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Death of a Character talked about but not described, F/M, Humans turning into Cybertronians (non-graphic), M/M, Mention of Mechs Carrying Sparklings (non-graphic), Mentions of other characters - Freeform, More than one relationship but they only come up at the end, Multi, Original Character(s), Relationships don't really happen until the end, mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 09:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6950887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberFemme/pseuds/CyberFemme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Unicron wasn't referring to Optimus when he spoke of the Disciple of Primus?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Disciple of Primus

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought? I came up with this idea years ago and only recently had the inspiration and time to type it all up. Sorry if there are any typos! (Written 4/9/16, Published 5/23/16)

“… What is this? A disciple of Primus? Here?” Unicron roared and Megatron flinched back involuntarily.  
  
“That would be Optimus Prime, our enemy…”  
  
“Silence fool!” Unicron snapped, “I do not speak of the Prime.” Megatron stepped back in shock. There was another? One that concerned Unicron more than the Prime?  
  
“I do not understand-“ Unicron sneered at him in disgust.  
  
“You worthless fool. I shall deal with the Prime myself, and then I shall destroy the other.” He disappeared in a wave of smoke, leaving Megatron confused and insulted. Who was this other?  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
“But, what can destroy Unicron?” Arcee asked incredulously, glaring at Megatron as they all considered his offer to work together to destroy the deity. All optics turned to Optimus as he spoke.  
  
“The Matrix of Leadership.” There was a silent pause before Megatron broke it by sighing.  
  
“That was my first thought but I believe that may not do the job this time…” Stunned silence followed as Optimus frowned.  
  
“Then why do you need my help?” Megatron glanced around at the other Autobots.  
  
“Unicron spoke of a disciple of Primus, someone other than the Prime. He was even more concerned about this disciple than the presence of a Prime.” Optimus blinked in surprise, considering this information.  
  
“And you think we know where this disciple is?” Megatron nodded gravely.  
  
“I know he would not be among my crew. I was hoping that you might know.” Optimus sighed and shook his head.  
  
“Unfortunately, I do not know of any disciples. Those that were, before the war, have either been killed or have lost their way. I fear he may be in danger of Unicron’s wrath… and that without him, we will not be able to win.” Optimus admitted. Bulkhead growled, pounding a fist into one hand.  
  
“I think this is a trap. Obviously Megatron is trying to distract us to give Unicron more time to wake up and destroy the Earth.” Megatron simply raised one eyebrow, smirking slightly at the bulky wrecker.  
  
“Easy Bulkhead. I do not believe this is a ruse. Megatron is too used to being his own leader and desires a world to rule. He would not have it destroyed, even by Unicron.” Megatron chuckled at Optimus’ words.  
  
“Ah Optimus, you know me too well. Now, do you have any… propositions on how to find this disciple?”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
3 months earlier…  
  
“JEN!” The roar of her name made her flinch slightly and her shoulders hunch as she stared down at the paper in front of her. Footsteps pounded up the stairs and she turned to look at her twin brothers as they burst into her room, grinning widely. Their grins quickly faded as they saw the distress on her face.  
  
“Jen? What- What’s wrong?” Ryan stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her as Michael glanced at the desk, carefully picking up the paper.  
  
“Just another vision Ryan…” she sighed, leaning against him as Michael stared at the drawing.  
  
“Shit. Is-Is this the Earth?” He turned the paper so Ryan could see the image. The planet was in the process of exploding, purple fire erupting from the cracks. Ryan shuddered as Jen nodded weakly.  
  
“It… it was a short vision, barely a second or two, but… but… How can we stop this?! You know my visions come true unless we do something!” Michael looked at Ryan helplessly as his minutes-older brother hugged their sister close.  
  
“Hey now, we’ll think of something. Maybe this connects with your other visions? And we’re already moving to Jasper… Don’t fret to much right now, you need to stay relaxed and open to other visions.” Jen sighed and nodded.  
  
“Yeah… but this… this is bad Ryan.” Michael rolled his eyes.  
  
“No shit it’s bad. But we won’t know what to do until you have more visions. So leave the worrying to us.” He playfully flicked her nose, making her squeak and swat at him.  
  
“Okay, okay, I’ll try to stop worrying…” She stretched and smiled at them. “For now, I’m going to grab a shower. Why is packing so dusty?” She muttered to herself about packing and getting dirty without leaving the house as she grabbed some clothes to change into, heading for the bathroom in the hall. Once she was gone, Ryan sighed, flopping into her chair.  
  
“So, are you seeing a connection? Cuz I got nothing.” He spread out the papers of her most recent visions, pausing as he jotted down the names of the three kids. That had been what they had been so excited to tell her, but now it seemed a lot less exciting. All three went to the school in Jasper, the youngest, only 12, having skipped grades to be in Freshman year of High School while the others were in Sophomore and Senior year with their age groups. He and Michael stared down at the images. Rafael next to a yellow sports car, Miko next to a military grade armored truck, Jack next to a blue motorcycle. Each of the vehicles were labeled as “guardians” for some reason. They were stacked with the images of a red and blue tractor truck and a white and red ambulance. The ambulance was labeled as “medic” and the truck as “leader”.  
  
“Well, these are obviously all a team? They all have this symbol…” Michael tapped another page that held a blocky symbol that looked like some sort of face. Below it was a sharper symbol of a different face. “Two teams… why does only one have kids?” He flipped through the pages in the other stack, this one of vehicles with the sharper symbol. A red Aston Martin sports car, a blue heavy duty hummer, a F-22 raptor jet, a drone jet, a pair of strange purple cars, a pair of strange purple jets, and a larger, grey jet that didn’t look like any jet they had ever seen.  
  
“And what do they have to do with the end of the world?” Ryan looked up as the door opened and their sister walked in. He quickly got up and stepped aside as he realized she was in a trance, a robe barely wrapped around her and soap still in her hair. She sat at the desk, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil and began to draw. Her brothers stayed still and silent, knowing that she would lose the vision if they disturbed her.  
  
“…” She let out a sigh as the trance ended and looked down at the paper in confusion. An image of a man in a suit stared back at her, face set in a scowl of disapproval. Next to him, the words “agent” and “liaison” and a quick sketch of the blocky symbol held the secret of who he was. Frowning, she reached up to run a hand through her hair and froze as she felt the soap.  
  
“Oh bloody hell.” She got up and returned to her still-running shower, grumbling to herself. Her brothers grinned at each other in amusement before looking closer at the picture.  
  
“Hmm, think we could run this through a facial recognition?” Ryan nodded slowly.  
  
“I think that could work… but we have to be careful now. This spook has to work for the government and we really don’t want them finding out about Jen’s gift.” They took the page and headed downstairs to their connected rooms, hoping that they might finally have a solid lead.  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Ever since she could remember, she had gotten visions. In the beginning, it was mostly about basic things; what someone would wear the next day, what would be served for lunch, what the weather would be like, what new toy would come out. Most adults brushed it off as déjà vu when she told them so she stopped telling them. Her brothers protected her whenever she went into a vision, the other children in the orphanage were cruel to her and would have hurt her if they didn’t.  
  
As she got older, her visions became more substantial, and more emotional. A child being beaten by foster parents, a woman getting gang raped in an alley, a man getting murdered in a gas station, the birth of a child, an exchanging of wedding vows, the creation of a design for a war monument. She mostly brushed them off, until she had a vision of her brothers being adopted, leaving her behind. When she told them about it, they admitted that a couple had come and was showing interest in them. Until that point, everything she had seen had come to be and she was terrified they would leave her behind. But they didn’t. They told the couple that they couldn’t leave their sister behind, their triplet. The couple lost interest and left them there and just like that, they had changed the path of the future.  
  
They took it upon themselves, working as a team, to make sure the bad events she saw didn’t come to pass. Often, they couldn’t do anything, or they found out more information that turned the bad event into a good one, so they left it alone. Once they were old enough to live on their own, they left the orphanage and moved into a 2-story apartment, all three doing their best to make their lives better. Now, they were moving from New York to Nevada, heading to the town of Jasper, to try to figure out what Jen’s visions were trying to tell them, and to see if they could stop the end of the world.  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked up at their new home. A house. A house with a yard. A house with a yard and a pool! She grinned in delight, too exhausted to squeal again. Her brothers laughed at her expression, taking the box she had pulled forward in the truck, as well as three other boxes and carrying them inside. She watched them for a moment, smiling fondly, before turning to pull some more boxes forward for them to carry.  
  
Even at the orphanage, where their birth certificates had been held and seen by the staff, most didn’t believe they were triplets. Oh, they believed her brothers were twins, but they were so different than she was. Where they were tall, she was short. Where they were tanned and had bright blue eyes, she was pale with shining green eyes. They were muscular and athletic, and while she was nicely toned and flexible from doing yoga, she wasn’t athletic in the slightest. Read; hand-eye coordination was a zero.  
  
Really the differences between Ryan and Michael were that Michael had curly hair and Ryan was slightly broader at the shoulders. At least, in appearances. Ryan was much more technically minded than Michael, willing to work all day on his computer if he could, while Michael was more action focused, needing to do something and work out his energy. When it came time to act, Michael was the best at figuring out what to do and how to do it.  
  
Dragging the last of the boxes to the end of the truck, she jumped down and stumbled, yelping as she fell forward and right into someone. The someone caught her, barely, and she looked up, stammering an apology before freezing in surprise.  
  
“It’s alright. Glad I was here to help.” Jack Darby smiled down at her as he stepped back slightly. “Um, I’m Jack, Jack Darby. My mom and I live across the street.” He pointed at the house directly across from theirs and she glanced over, spotting the blue motorcycle parked in the driveway.  
  
“Oh, um, thanks. I’m Jen, Jen Reynolds. These are my brothers, Michael and Ryan.” She gestured to them as they walked over. “We just got here, obviously.” Jack laughed and nodded, shaking their hands.  
  
“Nice to meet you guys. Well, I have to get going, I’m meeting some friends to work on some school work. See you around!” Jack turned and jogged back over to his motorcycle. Within moments, he was racing away down the street and the triplets looked at each other.  
  
“Well, that was some coincidence, huh?” Ryan grinned and Jen rolled her eyes.  
  
“Oh yeah, some coincidence, not like you picked this house because of how close it was to two of the entities in my visions.” She turned and grabbed one of the boxes, grunting slightly as it was heavier than it looked and began making her way inside. “Come on you two, I need some iced tea.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
A month passed and Jen’s visions continued coming, filling page after page. Her brothers put the pages carefully on the walls of what Michael called their “War Room”. The images now contained those of robots, matched up carefully with the vehicles they were hiding as. Strange symbols accompanied these images and all Jen could tell was that it was their names, but it wasn’t in any language they could find. A helicopter/spider lady robot had joined the pointy symbolled team while a sports car/samauri robot had joined the blocky symbolled team. A large jet and matching army green robot had also joined the pointy symbols, but accompanying his picture were the images of a pile of rocks, then an image of a zombie version of the same robot.  
  
Along with the pictures of the different robots and kids and the agent, which Ryan had identified as Agent Fowler, were sketches of scenes. Too many to count. And over and over again, images of purple flames. Purple flames covering the zombie robot. Purple flames coming out of the eyes of the large robot that was paired with the unique jet. Purple flames erupting from cracks in the ground, along with a zombie robot arm. Purple flames erupting from a volcano. Purple flames crackling along lightning bolts. Purple flames ripping the Earth apart.  
  
Ryan shuddered as he looked around at the images. What the hell was going on? And what could they do? Perhaps even more importantly, which of the images had already come to pass, and which ones could they still make a difference in? His thoughts were distracted by Jen wandering in, Michael’s hand over his mouth alerting him to the fact that she was in a trance. Watching as she sketched out another image, he waited patiently, wondering what this one would show. He blinked in surprise as she started on another sketch, then another, and another! Normally she would only have one at a time.  
  
Coming out of her trance, Jen turned and grabbed a map of Nevada, comparing her last sketch to the map. Ryan walked over as she pointed to an area not too far from Jasper.  
  
“We need to go here on the 28th of this month.” Michael frowned in confusion.  
  
“What? How do you know? Why?” Jen turned to him, pulling the first image from the stack.  
  
“There is something there we need to get. It’s key to us being able to stop the end of the world. The voice said so!” Ryan looked up sharply.  
  
“What voice?” Jen blinked and grabbed the second page. It was covered in words.  
  
“The voice in my visions. It’s what sometimes gives me words along with the images. Keep up. This time, this time though, it gave me a hell of a lot more than just a single word or two. Listen.” She began reading off the page.  
  
“Divided for ages, two become one, uniting against a common foe.  
  
To end the darkness, the chosen must take their rightful place.  
  
Darkness will rise, bringing Earth’s demise, this can be changed though.  
  
The one blessed with visions shall lead her protectors to their combined fate.  
  
And together they will bring light and peace to all creation.”  
  
She scowled slightly. “This… this is a translation. It rhymed when I heard it, but on paper it doesn’t…” Ryan took the paper and turned it over, gasping when he saw a series of symbols on it, similar in shape to those that were near the robots in the other images.  
  
“I think this is the original…” Michael frowned.  
  
“Okay, fine, it sounds different, whatever. What the hell does it mean?” Jen bit her lip.  
  
“Well, I think the first line is about these two teams. Maybe they will unite to fight something? Um, the second line means that someone, or maybe several people will have to step up in order to stop the darkness… which apparently is what will destroy the earth. The last two lines… well, I think they’re about us?”  
  
“What?!”  
  
“Yeah, I mean, I get visions, you guys are my protectors, and I know where we have to go, and when! I don’t know about bringing light and peace, but don’t we try to stop bad things from happening?”  
  
“Okay, okay, but, why do we need to go to the middle of nowhere on the 28th?” He tapped the map where Ryan had put a red circle around where she had pointed. Jen shrugged.  
  
“Well, obviously that’s where we’ll meet our fate… whatever that is.” Michael grumbled and flopped into his chair.  
  
“Okay, fine. This waiting shit is going to kill me though.” Jen grinned at him while Ryan chuckled softly, all of them relieved to finally have some idea of what to do.  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
The day was sweltering, without even a breeze to bring relief. Ryan got into the driver’s seat of the beat-up old pickup. He quickly used the hand crank to lower the window as, somehow, it was even hotter in the cab of the truck. Michael grinned, hopping into the bed of the truck while Jen slid into the passenger’s side.  
  
“Head towards the area, I’ll let you know where to go from there.” She also cranked down her window, hair tied back with a light blue bandana, which was already becoming soaked through. Ryan nodded and the truck roared to life at his twist of the key. Without another word, they headed down the road.  
  
After almost an hour of driving, Jen gasped, her body going tense as she went into a trance. Ryan was about to pull the truck over when she spoke, startling him.  
  
“We are close. Pull off the road in about 500 meters.” Her voice was calm, eerily devoid of emotion. Ryan nodded and followed her directions, not saying anything for fear of breaking her trance, though this was the first time she had spoken when in a trance. Twenty minutes of winding through the narrow canyon and she commanded him to stop.  
  
As soon as the truck stopped, she hopped out, walking slowly towards a crevice. Michael jumped down and was about to say something when Ryan stopped him, whispering that she was in a trance. Staying quiet, they followed her as she slipped into the crevice. The narrow entrance opened into a huge, towering cavern and Ryan froze in surprise when he spotted the large, glowing crystal in the center. As soon as Michael followed him in, the crevice suddenly closed behind them and the glowing became brighter. A low thrumming filled the cavern as Ryan and Michael stepped up on either side of Jen, who had come out of the trance and was staring at the crystal in awe.  
  
“Welcome, children of Primus.” The voice was deep and melodious, seeming to surround them and thrum through their very being. “It is time for you to return to the forms you were born to. Time for you to bring forth my light and return our people to peace.” The crystal suddenly flashed brightly, filling the cavern with intense light and sound. Michael felt a stab of pain, then darkness replace the light and he knew no more.  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
“Optimus! I’m picking up a surge of Energon activity.” Ratchet called out, typing away to get more accurate coordinates as Optimus and Megatron both walked over. The bots had reluctantly agreed to bring Megatron to their base as they did need his help, both to find the missing disciple and to get rid of Unicron. Megatron had been trying to hail his warship to get them to help as well, but Airachnid was sabotaging his efforts.  
  
“Are you sure it isn’t more Dark Energon?” Optimus asked as Megatron focused on the coordinates.  
  
“Yes Optimus, I am sure.” Optimus nodded.  
  
“We need a ground bridge there. I am sure Unicron will have picked up the surge as well.” He turned to Megatron. “Any word yet from your ship?” Megatron scowled.  
  
“Not yet. It seems I have a traitor in my army. Once I am away from the security of your base, I will contact Soundwave. After all, I know that he, at least, is loyal to me.” Optimus nodded and turned to the Autobots.  
  
“Autobots, roll out!” The ground bridge opened and they transformed, racing through the portal as Megatron ran after them. They emerged in the narrow canyon and instantly had to start fighting Unicron’s rock reincarnations. Down the canyon, Optimus spotted three seekers fighting to stay alive as the reincarnations attacked them. Transforming, he roared down the canyon, taking down several of the rock deities before transforming again, slashing apart the reincarnation that was lunging at the closest seeker.  
  
Megatron soon joined the fight as well, after sending a brief data package to his loyal third in command. He tore through the rock battlers and got close to the seekers.  
  
“Which one of you is the Disciple?” They looked at him in confusion as they continued fighting before the two larger ones glanced at the smaller seeker. “You need to get her out of here. Transform and fly, I’ll cover your backs.” He stabbed and shot at the endless army.  
  
“That’s gonna be a problem. We don’t know how the hell to do that!” The one that spoke fired at the approaching forms. “We were human just a few minutes ago!”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Jen was scared. No, scared was an understatement. If she still had panties, they would have been soaked with pee by now. But she didn’t have panties any more. Hell, she didn’t even have a shirt! Instead, the crystal had transformed them into what she now knew were Cybertronians. Information was flooding into her, but she didn’t have time to acclimate it as they were being attacked. By rocks. Bloody hell, as though she didn’t have enough crazy shit happening to her today.  
  
The voice from her visions was murmuring in the back of her head, feeding her the most important information. Like how to use her weapons. And how to use the targeting system. And how it was okay to attack these things because they weren’t actually sentient or living. She knew that as soon as the adrenalin, or whatever it was flooding through her body to give her the fight/flight instincts she needed, ended, she would have a major headache and would be demanding some answers from the voice in her head. Oh yeah, that thought wasn’t crazy!  
  
Thank god the others had shown up when they did. Her brothers were protecting her amazingly well, but they were also disoriented and confused, just like her. She heard her brother, Michael, yelling at Megatron about not knowing how to transform and fly when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. She let out a shriek and tried to pull away, but that caused a wave of pain from her wings to assault her. Ryan, who had been on her other side, let out a roar of anger, anger that seemed to wash through her, as he lunged at what was holding onto her, a sword appearing in his hands as he slashed at it, freeing her. She didn’t have time to whirl around, having to fire at one of the rock beings coming at her.  
  
The sound of jet engines filled the air and the rock forms were strafed with gun fire. Glancing up, she recognized the form of Starscream as he transformed in mid-air, landing beside her, firing at the moving rocks.  
  
“Seeker, I am Winglord Starscream-“ His speech was cut off by loud explosions as Megatron fired his huge cannon.  
  
“Starscream. Nice. Apparently I’m the Disciple of Primus.” She didn’t have time to see the shocked look on his face as she suddenly raced forward, leaping up and kicking one of the incarnations of Unicron in the chest, a blade that appeared in her hand slamming through it’s head. “Michael, Ryan, with me!” She raced forward, knowing they needed to get out of this damned canyon, feeling her brothers on either side of her.  
  
Team Prime took point in front of her, clearing the way as they ran, while Megatron and Starscream took up the rear. Within moments, they burst free from the canyon, only to come face to face with a towering, giant-sized form of Unicron.  
  
“Oh fuck!” She heard Michael swear and she nodded in agreement. Suddenly, the being seemed to be shredded in half and she turned, spotting a large ship flying in the sky. Megatron grinned.  
  
“Seems like the cavalry has arrived. Prime, Disciple, I invite you and your teams to join me on the ship. Perhaps Unicron will not so easily find us there.” Jen looked over at Optimus who was glancing around at his team.  
  
“Megatron-“ He suddenly cut off and turned slightly, apparently speaking to someone through an internal communication. Jen took that moment to tug her brothers closer, stepping back slightly.  
  
“Well, that didn’t fucking take long to put us in the middle of a god-damn war.” Michael growled and Ryan nodded, both looking tense.  
  
“At least it appears that both teams are actually working together. Come on Michael, we’re the ones that have to bring light to the growing darkness.” Michael scoffed at her and his wings flared. “… I don’t think we’ll be safe until we do this… until we destroy Unicron.”  
  
“… Can you two feel it?” They both turned to look at Ryan curiously. “I can feel your emotions, like an echo? And I know stuff I didn’t before… Almost like you’re sending it to us Jen. You were the first one to figure out how to use the guns and I think we learned it from you.” They both thought about it and slowly, Michael nodded.  
  
“Yeah… I can feel it to. And… I dunno, it’s gonna sound fucking weird, but I think you’ve got some sort of, calming aura or something. Like, it feels lighter closer to you Jen. I dunno. Anyway, what do you think? Keep fighting the rock monsters, or trust the Warlord and join him on his Warship?” Jen couldn’t help but giggle, wings flicking up and down slightly.  
  
Their decision making was interrupted by a ground bridge opening and an ambulance driving through it, followed by a now-familiar rock form. The form exploded as Megatron fired at it, the ground bridge closing behind the ambulance, whose doors flew open. The kids and two adults got out, the kids rushing to their guardians.  
  
“Bulk! You’re not gonna believe it! Huge rock guys totally destroyed the base!” Miko was swept up by Bulkhead while Ratchet and Agent Fowler reported to Optimus. Optimus turned to Megatron.  
“As it seems our own base is no longer safe, we would appreciate being allowed asylum on your ship for the time being.” Megatron nodded and turned to Jen, Ryan, and Michael. Starscream shifted closer to the group of seekers, making Michael and Ryan turn to look at him with raised eyebrows.  
  
“Oh, ehm, seekers have to stick together, er, right?” Starscream’s wings twitched nervously, looking at them hopefully as they turned to look at each other.  
“You have another motive though.” Jen stared at him, waiting patiently. Starscream straightened.  
  
“Yes, well. Before the war, I was Winglord of the Seekers of Vos. One of my duties, beyond commanding the Seekers in my force, was aiding and protecting the Disciples of Primus that lived in Vos. Since you are seekers, and the Disciple, I am sworn to protect you… if, eh, you’ll have me?” Jen looked him up and down curiously before nodding.  
  
“Well, Winglord Starscream, I will not stop you from your sworn duty.” She turned back to Megatron. “Thank you, Lord Megatron, for the offer of safety aboard your ship. We accept. Perhaps, once we are there, we will discuss what we must do to defeat this rising darkness?” Megatron bowed slightly.  
  
“Of course, Disciple.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Soundwave stood at the controls to the ground bridge, watching as the entirety of the Autobot forces on Earth, plus their humans, and three seekers he didn’t recognize walked through, followed by Starscream and Megatron. He briefly wondered what his lord was thinking, but pushed the thought aside, knowing Megatron would tell him what he needed to know.  
  
He suddenly focused on the femme seeker as his sensitive sensors picked up a pulse of, well, something. He scanned her curiously and suddenly froze as he realized what she was. Disciple of Primus. The last Disciple. He reacted before he realized what he was doing, kneeling before her gracefully. Starscream tensed but otherwise did not react while the other two seekers shifted slightly closer to her, protectively. For the first time in years, Soundwave spoke.  
  
“Disciple: I pledge myself to you. Your life: Before my life. Your will: Before my will. Your knowledge: My guide. I, Soundwave, pledge myself: your protector.” It was the old pledge, the one used before the pretenders had corrupted the way of the Disciples. Megatron stared at him in shock, well, really everyone stared at him in shock… except her. She smiled softly at him.  
  
“Rise, Protector Soundwave. Primus is pleased that you have not forgotten your vows. Though, I am concerned about how your Lord will take having his third in command turning to Primus.” Her voice was filled with laughter and confidence and he stood slowly, turning to face Lord Megatron.  
  
“My Lord, I am faithful to you. But my coding will not allow me to go against the true Disciples of Primus.” He bowed his helm slightly and Megatron stepped forward.  
  
“Ah yes, I had forgotten about that part of the strict coding of the fabled “Spies of Primus”. Even your time in the Pit could not corrupt your codes. Though, your time in the Pit did earn you my respect, even now.” Soundwave relaxed slightly and nodded to his fellow former-gladiator. Sensing that the conversation was over, Soundwave moved to Ryan’s side as Starscream had taken Michael’s side, flanking Jen.  
  
“Well, this sure is awkward all of a sudden.” Jen grinned slightly at Megatron who smirked at her. “Shall we find somewhere more comfortable to figure out what we’re going to do to keep Earth from erupting in an explosion of purple fire?” Megatron froze, staring at her fiercely.  
  
“When did you see that? The vision?” She blinked at him.  
  
“You have seen it too?” At his impatient nod, she sighed. “The first time I had that vision was three months ago.” He didn’t respond for a moment.  
  
“Mine was yesterday… Let us head to the bridge, I believe the computers there will be needed in our endeavors.” He turned to lead the way. As he walked, Soundwave moved to walk beside him for a moment, sharing the information that his second in command was in the brig for treason against him. Once the information was passed on, Soundwave dropped back. He was about to drop back to walk behind Ryan again when Jen stopped him from doing so, tugging his arm to make him walk beside her.  
  
“The code Megatron was talking about, would you tell me about it?” He blinked and hesitated for a moment.  
  
"It is code that those with my frame type are born with. The legend is that we were created by Primus with one primary function, serving his Disciples. Part of that code is the ability to find the true Disciples, and to be loyal to them. When I was born, there were no true Disciples. There were many fake or pretend Disciples that were accepted as true, but they were not. That is why I was able to join Megatron in trying to reform our culture.” She nodded slowly.  
  
“It is not just a legend, Soundwave. Primus created those like you to be one half of the Disciples’ protection. The other half are the seekers. They have innate coding that commands they protect the true Disciples. Theirs is not as, well, focused as yours. However, it is just as strong.” She sighed softly. “I am not sure I agree with the idea of your coding forcing you to be loyal to me, but I do understand the need for it…” She suddenly trailed off and stiffened, footsteps stilling until she stopped, staring blankly at the wall. He was about to touch her arm when Ryan gently jerked him back, taking his place and hovering protectively over her, wings flared. Michael was scanning the area around them carefully, while also holding a hand over Starscream’s mouth to keep him from speaking.  
  
Several moments later, just as the others were turning to look back at them, Jen snapped back to attention. She shared a look with Ryan before catching Michael’s eye as well.  
  
“I know how to stop Unicron for good.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Megatron watched as the small femme seeker marched into the bridge, wings held high, and he wondered just what he had gotten himself into. He spark was conflicted and he knew it was because of the control the Dark Energon had over him. Sighing to himself, he turned to face her fully. He was about to speak when Miko, the small human femme, called out from Bulkhead’s shoulder.  
  
“Hey, so, is anyone else wondering who these new guys are?” He saw the femme Disciple blink in surprise and look over at her mech companions.  
  
“Well, I’m not sure what you should call us. Our names used to be Jen, Ryan, and Michael, but they are not our names now.” Megatron blinked in surprise and his thought was voiced by the loud human once more.  
  
“Wait, you used to be human!? That’s so unfair!” She seemed to be about to go off on a rant when Jack suddenly looked up.  
  
“Wait, Jen Reynolds?” June Darby looked over at her son in surprise before looking up at them as Jen nodded slightly.  
  
“Yes Jack. Sorry we didn’t tell you earlier, but we knew your motorcycle was more than meets the eye.” Jen rolled her eyes at Michael who grinned playfully, swatting his shoulder.  
  
“Stop teasing them you goof. Anyway, those were our names before Primus changed us back to, what he called, our “true forms”. And, of course, he never did tell us our true names.” She paused and rolled her optics. “Oh, so now you remember to tell me? Rude. Apparently my name is meant to be Starsong, Ryan is really Bladefall, and Michael is now Cloudblast.” The others stared at her in confusion. Arcee was the one who finally spoke up.  
  
“Wait, um, Starsong, did Primus just speak to you?” Jen looked over at her and grinned sheepishly.  
  
“Yeah, he’s actually been speaking to me the entire time, giving me a running commentary on what was going on. It was kind of distracting at first…” She rubbed the back of her helm before chuckling softly. “He says that it’s okay that you don’t believe me, after all, not everyone truly believes in him either.” Megatron shook himself slightly.  
  
“Anyway, we can discuss the phenomenon of Primus actually speaking to a Disciple later. Starsong, you said you know how to stop Unicron?” She turned to him, nodding firmly.  
  
“Yes. I need to get as close as possible to his spark in order to do what is needed, but it will work.” Bladefall suddenly shifted as Cloudblast turned to glare at her.  
  
“You’re going to have to do WHAT?!” She glared right back.  
  
“I showed you once, that is all you need to know and more than anyone else needs to see.” He growled darkly.  
  
“Oh, and let me guess, I just need to ignore the part where YOU COULD DIE!?” She huffed and her wings flared dangerously.  
  
“Of course I could die! Just like you could die while trying to protect me. Or we could all die when the Earth explodes because my overprotective brother WOULDN’T LET ME SAVE IT!” He was about to argue when suddenly power flooded out of her, washing over all of them, making even Megatron step back from its force. “I WILL do this Cloudblast.” The power faded and she sagged slightly, wings flicking down. “But I can’t do this without you…” They stared at each other for a long moment before he pulled her into a tight hug.  
  
“…You die on me and I swear I’ll find a way to bring you back just so I can beat you into a pulp for dying on me.” She chuckled weakly and nodded before reluctantly pulling back and looking over at Megatron and Optimus.  
  
“I will need someone to guide us, and back-up against the protections I’m sure Unicron has waiting for anyone that gets near his spark…” Megatron glanced over at Optimus before looking at Starsong.  
  
“I can guide you. The Dark Energon in me will guide us to his spark.” Optimus glanced at his team.  
  
“While I am sure you will not need it, I do carry the Matrix of Leadership, which we could use as a last resort should the worst happen… Or at least as a way to distract Unicron from what you will be doing. And while I would come with you, I will not speak for my team on this mission.” One by one, the other Autobots stepped forward, pledging to come with. As Ratchet stepped forward, Starsong surprised everyone by holding up her hand.  
  
“Ratchet, while I am sure you are a strong fighter, I know you are an even stronger medic. I would request that you remain here, ready to administer medical aid to us when we return, should we need it.” She turned, also stopping Knockout and Breakdown who had also been about to step forward. “Likewise, I would ask that you two stay as well…” She suddenly broke off and stepped closer, staring intently at Breakdown. He shifted nervously, leaning down when she gestured him to. She whispered in his audio and he gasped, staring at her in shock.  
  
“You-You’re sure?” At her nod, he turned to stare at Knockout. “Doc, I need you to scan my spark.” Knockout blinked in surprise before turning his hand into a scanner.  
  
“Whatever you say big guy.” He scanned his chest, reading the results. Starsong struggled not to giggle as his eyes widened and he grabbed Breakdown’s shoulder firmly, scanning him again. Once the scan finished and he read the result again, he turned to Ratchet.  
  
“Get over here and give me a second opinion!” Ratchet frowned in confusion and stepped forward, calmly scanning his chest at third time. Reading the output, Ratchet froze before he growled.  
  
“You are confined to this ship for the next cycle and will be on light duty after that. And I mean LIGHT duty! If I catch you picking up even a stack of energon cubes I’ll confine you to a berth in medbay! Do you understand me!” Breakdown nodded meekly and Starsong laughed. Megatron frowned.  
  
“And why, Ratchet, are you confining one of MY soldiers to-“ He ducked as Ratchet whirled around and threw a wrench at his helm, eyes wide as he stared at the medic.  
  
“BECAUSE, you overgrown toaster, I will NOT allow a sparked mech to become distressed by ANYthing. Do YOU understand ME!?” Megatron froze before nodding, staring at Breakdown in surprise, as was everyone else. Miko, however, decided she was not happy with that explanation.  
  
“Uh, Doc-Bot? What does ‘sparked’ mean?” Starsong grinned as Ratchet spluttered.  
  
“It means he is carrying a baby robot in him Miko. Yes Ratchet, I know that’s not entirely accurate, but she’ll understand that better than any other explanation.” Miko didn’t hear anything past ‘baby robot’, squealing in excitement.  
  
“Baby robot! O-M-G! You’re gonna be a Mommy!” She blinked and paused, turning to Bulkhead, stage whispering. “But isn’t Breakdown a boy robot?”  
  
“Miko, Cybertronian reproduction is much more complicated than boy meets girl, boy knocks up girl, girl has baby. Unlike Humans.” Starsong smirked at her as Miko frowned.  
  
“As much as it is entertaining to discuss this with our curious human friends, I do believe we need to get moving. Time is not on our side…” Optimus spoke before Miko could rapid-fire more questions. Bulkhead gently moved Miko to the floor, watching as Miko raced over to Breakdown, grinning up at him and shooting her questions at him and Knockout.  
  
“Well, time to save the world.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Starsong was getting sick of the looks her brothers were sending her. They were walking through Unicron’s body, heading to his spark, and all she could feel was the worry and anger her brothers were projecting. Sighing, she looked around and rolled her optics when she noticed Starscream and Soundwave sending her the same looks. If they weren’t trying to be quiet, she would have screamed. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about without their looks.  
  
Flicking her wings to help force the negative feelings away, she focused instead on the connection she had to Primus. She had felt when it had become weaker due to her proximity to Unicron’s spark and only hoped it was strong enough to stay with her when she started the ritual to bind Unicron’s spark and destroy his consciousness. She shook herself again. It WOULD be strong enough. Damn this Dark Energon was good at pulling up negative thoughts.  
  
“We’re getting close.” She heard Megatron murmur back to them. She nodded and followed him, keeping her attention on walking and on the connection she had to Primus. It was due to that connection that she was able to duck in time as a Unicromite screeched and flew at her head, seeking to decapitate her.  
  
“Run!” She ran forward, focused completely on getting to the spark while the others fired and sliced at the swarming mites. She dodged, leapt, and dove around the mites, finally forced to pull out her sword to defend herself. Primus continued to whisper to her, letting her know it was okay and that the mites needed to be killed as they were unnatural creations of Unicron. It helped, a bit.  
  
Slashing at the swarming mites, she was distracted for a moment as Bulkhead let out a cry as he slipped off the platform, barely catching himself with one hand. Shifting to race over to him, she was suddenly buffeted by five of the mites and thrown off the platform. She let out a shriek, unable to transform since she had no alt-mode. She tried to grab at one of the passing platforms but was too far away, continuing to fall down, down, down…  
  
She suddenly landed on Starscream’s alt-mode as his engine roared, trying to pull up with her. She quickly held on, shifting herself to add her wings to the lift of his own, eyes wide as they roared back up to the platform, heading for the archway they had been headed towards before the attack.  
  
Optimus had managed to pull Bulkhead back up onto the platform and the group was headed towards the arch, keeping the mites at bay as Starscream dove into it with her. She jumped off to let him transform, already running deeper, her brothers and Megatron on her tail.  
  
“We need to end this!” Megatron managed to get the gateway to Unicron’s spark open and the others followed, leaving Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead to keep the mites back. As she walked, Starsong opened her connection to Primus completely, optics going white as his power flowed into her.  
  
“Whatever you do, do not touch me while I am chanting.” She commanded the others as she walked forward, towards the overpowering spark of Unicron. She felt Megatron collapse to his knees as her four protectors stood around her, facing outwards. Looking up at Unicron’s spark, she began chanting.  
  
The chant followed a hauntingly beautiful cadence, the words spoken in the language of the ancient primes. Unicron screamed for Megatron to stop her but before the Warlord could do anything, pure white energy began gathering around her, whipping around the room and forcing everyone back. It began twisting around her and Unicron’s spark in the symbol of infinity, growing brighter and more powerful as her chanting continued. She raised her arms, the energy softly caressing her even as it lashed and wrapped tighter around the dark one’s spark.  
  
As the chanting reached fever pitch, Unicron tried to lash out, spark pulsing out in a dark wave. The light energy absorbed it and lashed back, a net of white pure light wrapping tightly around his spark as Starsong swayed with the cadence of the chant. Finishing the chant, Starsong roared out the last few words, her voice joined by the deeper sound of Primus’ own voice. With a flash, the energy lashed into the net, trapping the spark and destroying Unicron’s consciousness, leaving the spark alive to power the core of this planet for the next eternity.  
  
For a moment, nothing moved. Then, Starsong went limp, arms falling to her sides, wings limply hanging against her back as she collapsed to the floor. Her protectors raced forward, checking her as they cried out her name. Soundwave realized she was merely unconscious and quickly told the others, calming them from their panic. Turning, he glanced at his Lord, who was staring at the bound spark above them.  
  
“Megatron, we need to get everyone back to the ship. The effects of the Dark Energon need to be treated.” Megatron jerked and nodded, looking over at Optimus.  
  
“Call a ground bridge, for all of us.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
As they walked through the ground bridge, Bladefall moved to walk with Megatron and Optimus. They looked over at him curiously and he shrugged.  
  
“Look, I’m just gonna say, whatever you two have planned, I recommend you put it on hold until you both can talk to Starsong together. I know you two have been at war with each other for, like, ever, but this could be the chance to end it peacefully. Or it will continue. But either way, can’t it wait for a few days until Starsong wakes up? Keep this tentative peace for now. Besides,” He shrugged and grinned, “I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be the one to try to get Ratchet to leave the Nemesis when he has a carrying mech to take care of. Think about it you two.” He walked away, leaving the two stunned leaders staring after him.  
  
After a few moment, Optimus turned to Megatron. “If you wish to kick us off the Nemesis, you have to be the one to tell Ratchet. As he suggested, I am going to continue to hold the peace.” Megatron continued to stare after Bladefall for a few more moments before glancing at Optimus.  
  
“You and your team may stay here for now. However, I will not accept any of your crew attacking any of mine.” Optimus nodded.  
  
“Likewise.” Optimus began heading towards the medbay With a grumble, Megatron sent out a data package with his orders, commanding all those under his command to refrain from attacking any of the visitors. Sighing, he decided to follow Optimus so he could check up on his carrying warrior, delaying his necessary meeting with his soon-to-be-former second-in-command. Stepping into the medbay, he looked around at the organized chaos.  
  
Ratchet had everyone who had been inside Unicron on medical berths, treating them for Dark Energon exposure. Knockout was assisting him and seemed to actually be learning some things as Ratchet, surprisingly, calmly explained to the younger mech what he was doing and why. On another medberth, Breakdown was reclining against the wall while chatting with the curious Mrs. Darby, trading questions. The human kids had rushed to their favorite bots’ sides, chatting happily. Noticing that the others were all busy, Megatron silently walked over to where Starsong was laying, still unconscious. At least, she seemed that way.  
  
“Hello Megatron.” Her optics opened wearily and she gave him a small smile. She seemed even smaller, laying there and looking up at him, and for a moment, he had a deep urge to protect her. She smiled even wider and reached over, patting his hand.  
  
“Don’t worry big guy, when I get my strength back I’m gonna help you get rid of that Dark Energon.” He blinked in surprise and she chuckled softly. “I know, you didn’t ask. But you do need to get it out.” She looked up at him, suddenly serious. “Right now, you are the only conduit Unicron could come back through. Removing the Dark Energon will ensure you will never be controlled by him again.” He couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of being controlled, of being possessed, by Unicron.  
  
“I… thank you.” She nodded, patting his hand again before relaxing, falling asleep again. When he looked up, he noticed Soundwave staring at him from the closest medberth. Soundwave looked at him, then down at her, then back up to him. He nodded slightly and Megatron nodded back before sighing in resignation as Ratchet grabbed his arm firmly.  
  
“Get on that medberth.” He was pushed towards it and scowled but relented at the sight of the wrench in Ratchet’s hand, a long repressed memory of the grumpy medic beaming him over the helm for trying to resist his help back when he was a Gladiator coming forward. The memory of the pain that simple wrench could cause had him sitting obediently on the medberth, awkwardly allowing the bossy medic to examine him. He noticed Optimus had his mouth protector closed and glared at him, knowing his rival was trying to hide his smile at the situation.  
  
“Ahp, uhp, uhp, uhp, sit back down you. You are still confined to that medberth!” Ratchet pointed his wrench over at Breakdown, who had been moving to stand up. The larger mech pouted.  
  
“Ah, come on Doc, I’m not goin’ far.” He quickly sat back as Ratchet lifted his arm as though to throw the wrench. “Okay, okay, I’m not moving.” Knockout chuckled and walked over to him.  
  
“What did you need?” Breakdown muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “get away from the evil doctor” but sighed.  
  
“I was gonna grab that datapad so I could show Nurse Darby some scans we have on file. She promised to get her own scans of the human body so we could compare notes.” Knockout glanced down at the Nurse, grinning slightly as he grabbed the datapad that was literally one step away from the medberth.  
  
“Let me know what you guys find out?” They nodded, already looking through the scans and chatting away. Knockout walked back over to Ratchet and rolled his eyes as he noticed the older medic and the warlord having a glaring contest.  
  
“And what, exactly, possessed you to stab your SPARK with DARK ENERGON!?” Knockout blinked in surprise, staring up at his Lord in shock as the Warlord shrugged, looking away.  
  
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Ratchet threw his hands up and started pacing back and forth, mumbling furiously about idiots who needed a full time minder to keep them from doing stupid things.  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Two days passed and a new routine quickly seemed to fall into place on the Nemesis. Ratchet insisted on giving everyone a check-up the next day to make sure no one was suffering any unexpected side-effects to the exposure to the Dark Energon and practically ordered Knockout to stay close to Breakdown. Not that he needed to since, as the sire, Knockout was practically glued to Breakdown to make sure he took it easy.  
  
Soundwave helped ground bridge the humans back and forth from the Nemesis to their homes when not continuing his normal duties. It surprised no one that he took over the computer terminal in the medical bay when Ratchet was not using it and hovered over Starsong’s sleeping form when he was. Starscream took it upon himself to distract the brothers, teaching them how to fly and making sure they got proper alt-forms. It was no coincidence that these lessons occurred only when Soundwave was going to be in the medbay for an extended amount of time.  
  
Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Optimus were given small duties on the ship (no one gets to fly for free after all) and were making friends with those they worked with. Optimus often worked with Megatron and they would often get into philosophical and political conversations, much like they had before the war. Finally, Megatron could put it off no longer and went to confront Airachnid about her treachery.  
  
Stepping into the brig, he quickly spotted the chained up form, noting that she was tied up in such a way that her head could not move, which was smart considering the burn marks that her poison had obviously made. He considered the feeble attempts to get free and looked over at the femme who was just noticing his arrival.  
  
“My Lord Megatron! Finally! Soundwave has overstepped his authority by locking me up in here!” Megatron raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Funny, Airachnid, as he made it sound like it was your own treachery that got you locked up in here until I could come deal with you.” She scoffed confidently.  
  
“Never My Lord. I am loyal only to you! I was merely trying to keep the ship and crew safe until your return, since we had no idea where you were, or how to help you.” He smirked slightly at her words.  
  
“Oh really? So you didn’t insinuate that I was going insane and that it would be best for the cause if you became Mistress of this ship?” She scowled.  
  
“Soundwave has obviously twisted my words with his vocal recordings!”  
  
“And did he also manage to change the video recording of the event?” She paled, eyes widening as he turned to the computer screen near her, turning it so she could see the event, turning up the volume so she could hear herself dig her own grave.  
  
“I-“  
  
“Tsk, tsk Airachnid. Did you really think I would forgive you for your treason?” He turned away and clenched his jaw. In the past, it would have been easy. Slice her throat and throw out the body. Now, well, the conversations he had been having with the Prime were making him reconsider his actions. But he knew she could not be trusted, not even to go free. After all, hadn’t he given her more than enough chances?  
  
“What are you going to do to me?” She asked and he frowned before making a decision.  
  
“Right now? Nothing. I have someone I need to talk to before I decide exactly what to do with you.” He walked out of the brig and headed towards the medbay, hoping Starsong might finally have woken up.  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
Starsong slowly woke up, keeping her optics closed as she let her senses return. Her entire body was sore but otherwise she felt okay. Slowly opening her optics, she looked around, smiling softly as she spotted Soundwave working nearby. She shifted a bit and instantly Soundwave turned, walking over to her, causing her to laugh softly.  
  
“How long was I asleep?” Soundwave gently helped her sit up as she stretched.  
  
“A little over 2 days. How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?” She smiled.  
  
“I feel alright Soundwave. How is everyone?”  
  
“They’re doing okay. Your brothers will be relieved that you’ve woken up. Optimus and Megatron seem to be working well together but they will need your help to really end this war.” She nodded and smiled.  
  
“I’m glad they’re at least trying to keep the peace going.” She looked up as Megatron walked in and smiled. “Hey Megatron. How are you doing?” He walked over to her, grinning slightly as Soundwave headed off to find one of the medics to give her a check-up.  
  
“I’m doing alright, could be better through.” He sighed, sitting on the edge of her berth as she tilted her helm at him.  
  
“What’s wrong?” She sat up and touched his arm as he looked over at her. As she watched, his shoulders slumped forward and he started talking.  
  
“I have to figure out what to do about Airachnid. She has committed treason and I know she has done horrible things that not even I would have agreed to, even at the height of the war. However, is it right for me to decide what her fate is to be? Is it right that I kill her? I think she deserves it, but then again, don’t I also deserve it? Before this week, before this peace, I would have killed her without a second thought…” She gently squeezed his arm and when he looked up, her saw her smiling warmly at him.  
  
“Those are important questions Megatron. It shows that you are willing to finally face decisions with the mentality of being at peace instead of at war. As for what you should do, she is still your soldier, she is still your responsibility. However, perhaps putting this decision up for discussion among your peers would be best. Afterall, you will have the final say, but they might have ideas that you have not thought of yet. Do not be afraid to ask for help Megatron. Especially for the important things.” He couldn’t help but relax under her touch but he sighed and looked down.  
  
“But what if I don’t follow their advice? Won’t they hate me?” She laughed softly, causing him to look up and shoot a glare at her.  
  
“Sorry, but that is just a sign of what a great leader you are. Megatron, they might not agree with you, they might even be upset with you for a while, but they will not hate you. They will respect you for sharing the decision making with them. They will respect you for making your own choice. How could they hate you for making the hard decisions while still including them. Just don’t brush off ideas out of hand, make sure to give reasons why you didn’t choose certain options.” He nodded. That made sense. A lot of sense. He rubbed his face with both hands and sighed.  
  
“Thank you Starsong.” She smiled at him and leaned back as Ratchet came storming in with Soundwave trailing behind nervously.  
  
“And just what were YOU thinking young femme?” She paused, looking up at him in confusion as he growled, brandishing his wrench at her. “Allowing that much energy to course through you could have caused your spark to fail!” She smiled softly at him.  
  
“Thank you for worrying Ratchet. And I was thinking that losing my spark to ensure Unicron’s couldn’t escape was a worthy exchange in the long run. Primus can find another Disciple if I am gone. Earth would not have survived the awakening of Unicron.” Ratchet spluttered and huffed when he couldn’t fault her logic, or her choice.  
  
“Yes, well, don’t do that again.” He glared at her as she grinned at him.  
  
“Okay, I promise I will not let Primus channel that much energy through me in order to destroy Unicron’s consciousness and bind his spark again.” She grinned innocently at him as he spluttered and grumbled about her making promises that didn’t mean anything. She obediently stayed still as he began scanning her to make sure she was truly okay now. As he was scanning her, Bladefall and Cloudblast raced into the room, a panting and exhausted Starscream following them before collapsing on the nearest medberth dramatically, making Starsong giggle softly.  
  
As soon as the scan was done, the brothers jumped onto her bed, hugging her tight, Cloudblast growling at her to never do that again. She giggled harder.  
  
“Okay, I promise I will not let Primus channel that much energy through me in order to destroy Unicron’s consciousness and bind his spark again.” They glared at her as she giggled harder before the laughed as well, hugging her close.  
  
“Yeah, she’s fine now. Her bad attempts at humor haven’t gotten any better.” Bladefall smirked as she gasped.  
  
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I am absolutely hilarious!” She sniffed at them dismissively as they laughed happily. The sound of laughter seemed to draw the others until everyone was packed again into the medbay, celebrating that everyone was okay and the threat of Unicron was passed. Megatron opened his mouth to speak but paused as Starsong touched his arm, leaning in to whisper in his audio.  
  
“Perhaps Airachnid can wait until you are free of Dark Energon?” He hesitated before nodding, realizing he would be more capable of making a rational decision after she helped him remove the Dark Energon.  
  
“Alright, when will we be able to get rid of it?” She grinned up at him.  
  
“How about right now?”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
He blinked at her in surprise as the others looked around to see what she was talking about since her voice had raised back to normal for her question.  
  
“What, now? As in here and now? What about the party?” He asked and she grinned wider.  
  
“It will go better with everyone here and once it’s done, we’ll just have another reason to celebrate. So, what do you say?” He looked around before sighing and shooting her a grin.  
  
“You’re the expert.” She scooted off the berth and gestured for him to lay down on it.  
  
“Alright, I need you to lay down and everyone else, I need you to make a circle around the berth please.” The others looked at each other curiously before stepping forward, making a circle around the berth where he was laying and she was standing even with his chest. “Okay, as I chant, I need you to each focus on positive things. Good things. Peaceful things. Let the feelings of happiness and peace fill you and flow through you. Do not move.”  
  
She looked around and, noticing some of them were closing their eyes, focusing, she began to chant. This chant was softer and more melodic than the one she used against Unicron, but was still in the same ancient language. A soft white glow flowed around her, filling the circle, twisting around them as she raised her hands. As the glow began centering in her hands, she lowered them over Megatron’s chest, hovering above him for a moment before pressing above and below his spark.  
  
His body jerked and he let out a gasp as the light began flowing into him. He cried out as a dark purple light tried to pulse out of his chest at her face but the light pushed it into a ball. Her hands seemed to scoop the last of the dark light out of him, guiding the white light to seal in the purple. Working her hands around the ball of light, she chanted faster, the ball shrinking until it was the size of a marble. Suddenly the ball exploded, white sparkles of light falling around them like snow as her chanting slowed, the last sparkle fading as she finished chanting.  
  
There was a moment of silence as the others stared at her in awe before Megatron slowly sat up. She gently touched his arm and smiled at him as he stared at her.  
  
“I… I didn’t realize… it affected me so much and I didn’t even notice. Now that it’s gone…” He trailed off and she nodded.  
  
“I know Megatron. I know.” The others suddenly broke their silence, chattering about how cool that had been, how amazing it was. She stepped back as Megatron got up, grinning to herself as Optimus put a hand on Megatron’s shoulder. She stepped away, looking for some energon while Optimus and Megatron spoke.  
  
“You know,” She looked over as Starscream leaned up against the wall next to her, looking around the room as he spoke, “I would never have believed that something like this could have happened. Yet, here it is, happening before my very optics, and all because of you.” He turned and stared at her and she shrugged, smiling softly.  
  
“I like to think I’m just good at bringing out the good in others.” He grinned at her, handing her a cube of energon.  
  
“That’s just it. I wouldn’t have believed any good was left in Megatron…” He paused and brought his own cube up to take a sip, muttering softly, “or in me.” She turned to face him, reaching up to poke him gently on the chest.  
  
“There was always good in you Starscream, it just didn’t know how to come out until I gave you the opportunity.” He looked down at her hand in surprise before smiling lopsidedly at her.  
  
“Thanks Starsong.” He jumped as two hands suddenly clamped down on his shoulders. He looked up and gulped at the twin smirks on the twin faces in front of him.  
  
“Hey Screamer, we wanna talk to ya.”  
  
“You okay with us borrowing Screamer here?” Starsong rolled her optics and smiled sympathetically at him as she started walking away.  
  
“Just don’t rough him up too much, this is a party after all.” They grinned at Starscream who gulped nervously.  
  
“Uh, hi guys. What did you want to talk about?” He glanced between them as they shared a look and stepped closer. His wings tensed as their faces suddenly became serious, wings angled so no one could see what was going on.  
  
“What are your intentions with Starsong?” He blinked in surprise and would have jerked back if he wasn’t already leaning against the wall.  
  
“W-what? What do you mean? I intend to do my best to protect her and help her in any way she needs me to.” The twins shook their heads and Bladefall leaned closer.  
  
“We mean, do you intend to be more than just her protecter? Something more… intimate?” His optics widened as he realized what they were talking about, shooting a glance at where Starsong was talking to Soundwave.  
  
“W-we… I… T-that… Why aren’t you questioning Soundwave about this?” He demanded, trying to ignore the way his wings were hitched and energon was rushing to his cheeks. They glanced over at Soundwave before turning back to him.  
  
“Because Soundwave is obviously interested in someone else. You aren’t. Now spill.” He blinked in surprise at that information, filing it away to look into later, after the interrogation was over.  
  
“Fine, yes I like her. No I would never push her or do anything to hurt her. I’m sworn to protect her after all.” They stared at him for a long moment.  
  
“You do realize, if you hurt her-“  
  
“If I hurt her, I’ll come to you begging for a beating in the hopes of making her feel better.” He cut them off, earning a pair of grins from them.  
  
“Good. We thought we’d have to try to scare Megatron off but thankfully he’s more interested in someone else as well.” They suddenly left him standing there, blinking in shock at Megatron’s back where he was chatting with Ratchet and Optimus. Once he finally recovered, he wandered over to where Starsong was chatting with Soundwave and Bumblebee.  
  
“Well, I don’t know about any chant that could fix your vocalizer off the top of my head, but I’ll ask Primus about it and see what I can do.” Bee nodded hopefully, beeping and whirring at her, doorwings bouncing in excitement. Now that he was looking closer, he realized that Soundwave seemed to be leaning slightly towards Bumblebee. And was his helm bouncing slightly as though he was mesmerized by the young scout’s doorwings under his visor? He smirked slightly but didn’t say anything, deciding he didn’t want a reason for Starsong to get mad at him.  
  
“Well, that went well.” He drawled, wings flicking slightly as Starsong turned to him, grinning happily.  
  
“Oh good. What did they want to talk to you about anyway?” Starscream shrugged and sipped his energon.  
  
“Oh, just wanted to know my opinion on a few things.” She raised an eyebrow at him but when he didn’t elaborate she turned back to Soundwave and Bumblebee. Bee beeped and whirred slowly, shyly asking a question before quickly letting out more beeps and chirps, waving his hands in front of him nervously as Starsong laughed softly.  
  
“Easy Bee, I don’t mind. What’s it like having Primus in my head?” She chuckled again. “It’s both soothing and irritating at the same time. Let’s just say Primus hasn’t had anyone to listen to him in a long time and he’s enjoying chattering away at me about anything and everything he can think of. But it is soothing as he often gives me good advice and the connection fills me with warmth and a feeling that I’m not alone.” She smiled softly. “And, he is a good conversationalist, when he’s not ranting about something.”  
  
“What does Primus rant about?” Soundwave asked curiously and Starsong laughed.  
  
“Just about everything to be honest. Mostly it’s been about how horribly the pretend Disciples messed everything up.” She shrugged, grinning as she chuckled. “Right now he’s ranting about all the things he could rant about. I’m mostly ignoring him though so he’s also ranting about ungrateful femmes ignoring him.” Starscream shook his helm, grinning.  
  
“I don’t think I could take having someone other than myself ranting in my head all day.” She playfully bumped her shoulder against his, laughing softly.  
  
“Good thing I’m the Disciple and not you then.” She teased, smiling at him. He felt energon heading to his cheeks again and raised his cube to take a sip and hopefully hide his blush.  
  
“So, what’s going to happen now?” She turned and looked at Arcee who had walked over to join their conversation. Starsong tilted her helm curiously.  
  
“What do you mean Arcee?” Arcee looked down slightly, frowning a bit.  
  
“I mean, what’s going to happen now that Unicron is defeated and you’re awake? Are we going to go back to fighting every day? Or are we going to keep pretending like the war never happened?” Starsong sighed, gently placing a hand on the femme’s shoulder.  
  
“Hopefully neither. Peace will never last if we keep ignoring the war, nor can healing start until everyone has a chance to talk, to reconcile. I am sure that very soon, Optimus and Megatron will start to talk about settling the war once and for all, and I’m pretty sure they’ll want me to mediate as best as I can.” Her wings drooped slightly. “I just hope I can help rebuild our society into one that will last during peace.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
The next day, the group, including the humans, met on the bridge of the Nemesis. Megatron was pacing as he waited for the last few bots to arrive. Starsong walked over to him, touching his arm to stop his pacing. Once he stopped and looked down at her, she smiled gently.  
  
“It’s going to be okay.” He nodded and turned as Bulkhead and Miko finally arrived. Megatron took a deep breath and nervously started.  
  
“Thanks for meeting with me. I’ve asked you here to help me make a decision. Before our battle with Unicron, my former second in command committed an act of treason. Before this peace, and before I had the Dark Energon removed, this wouldn’t have been a hard decision. The penalty for treason has always been death by my blade. However, due to recent events, I am hesitant to take a life so quickly. So, I am asking for your help, your guidance, in making this decision. I would like your opinions.” He glanced around before adding, “For those who are not aware, we are discussing the fate of Airachnid.” Arcee instantly tensed.  
  
“I say you have a penalty in place and you should use it. Vile bitch deserves worse than a clean death but the world will be better without her.” The others shifted and some of the vehicons nearby muttered in agreement.  
  
“Do you not think she could be redeemed, Arcee?” Optimus asked calmly, earning a dark glare from the femme.  
  
“Not in a billion years Optimus. She has proven to be ruthless and cruel and even worse than Megatron ever was.”  
  
“Optimus…” The Prime turned and looked at Ratchet, who sighed. “Have you ever looked at a list of her war crimes? The full list?” Optimus frowned and opened his mouth but before he could speak, Ratchet continued. “I have Optimus. I can honestly say that I do not believe she will ever change. Before you speak in her defense, look at the list.” He paused and looked around. “Actually, I think everyone should look at it, if you haven’t already. I think it will help put things into perspective.”  
  
Soundwave turned and pulled up the file under Ratchet’s guidance. The length of the file was the first indication that she was irredeemable. As they read the entries, any doubt that might have been left was erased. By the end, even Optimus looked sick and Bee was hiding his face against Ratchet’s shoulder, whimpering slightly. Starsong stepped forward and gently touched Optimus’ shoulder. He slowly looked down at her sad optics.  
  
“I know you can see the good in everyone, even when it’s buried deep, but Optimus, even you have to be able to see that this is too deep. If it’s even there anymore. Airachnid would only poison the society we have to create in our attempts to heal her. Sometimes, for the greater good, we have to make sacrifices. Would you really condemn those who were her victims to live in fear of her continued existence in an attempt to find the good in her?” He sighed deeply and hung his head.  
  
“It’s so hard, to think about sacrificing any.” She smiled gently.  
  
“Of course it is Optimus. That’s why you’re a Prime. You see the best in everyone and try to bring it out. But a Prime can never work alone. They need someone, sometimes several people, to help them see when to step back and focus on the bigger picture. That’s what Ratchet did for you. He helped you see the bigger picture and let go of trying to save the individual.” He nodded and looked up at her.  
  
“Thank you Starsong. I doubt we would be this close to peace without your help.” She grinned and shrugged, wings flicking up and down.  
  
“I’m sure you guys would have gotten here eventually without me. It just would have taken longer.” Optimus smiled at her and nodded before turning back to the group.  
  
“Though I had hoped she wasn’t this bad, I have to admit that I can see no way of redeeming Airachnid without a lot of hurt and, in the end, too high a cost. I believe that a quick, painless death would be the best choice in this case. Not just for her, but for us as well. While I know some of you would like to torture her for her crimes, I doubt it would help at all except make us all more bitter and stressed. I recommend that this be done quickly so we can all begin to move on with our lives.” The others nodded, some more reluctantly than others, but in the end, they all agreed. Starsong spoke up.  
  
“Do we want to put the burden of guilt upon any one of us? Causing a death is no longer hidden under the armor of being at war at this point. Perhaps, as a kindness to us all, she should have a death by firing squad? Five guns but only four real bullets. No one knows which gun is empty. The five fire, she dies, everyone can feel less guilty by believing they had the empty gun.” The others looked around at each other and slowly, everyone nodded again.  
  
“That is an excellent idea Starsong. I will fire one of the guns.” Megatron spoke up, looking around at the others.  
  
“I will also fire one of the guns.” Optimus spoke up. Quickly, Arcee, Starscream, and Knockout volunteered to fire the guns as well. Megatron nodded and turned to the closest Vehicon.  
  
“Please prepare five guns, one with a blank bullet and the other four with live ammo. Make sure they are identical and not marked in any way. I will make sure someone else hands out the guns so do not indicate to anyone which gun is blank.” The Vehicon nodded seriously and left to prepare the guns. He turned to another Vehicon. “Who was it that secured Airachnid in the brig?” The Vehicon thought for a moment.  
  
“I believe Commander Soundwave personally took care of it with the help of two Vehicons.” He replied and Soundwave nodded in agreement. Megatron turned to Soundwave.  
  
“Do you think you can move her from the brig to the flight deck?” Soundwave nodded again and turned to leave, gesturing to four Vehicons to help him. Megatron paused before turning to Bumblebee.  
  
“Bumblebee, I would ask that you and Breakdown remain in the ship while we do this.” He held up a hand as Bee whirred in protest. “I do not want you to have more nightmares about this day than you already will have. I should have protested before you and Breakdown read that list, but I wasn’t thinking. I will not sit idly by as the last of your innocence is stolen away by this scene. Besides, I know you will be able to keep the Human children here so they will not have to witness this either.” He added the last bit in a low tone, not wanting a certain pink haired human to catch what he was saying.  
  
Bee paused in his protest and turned to look at the Human children. Miko was trying to act like it was no-big-deal what she had read, but Jack and Rafael looked pale and distressed. Raf was trying not to cry as he clung to Jack. Nurse Darby looked little better and even Agent Fowler looked a bit upset at what he had read. Turning back to Megatron, he nodded slightly. He knew where he was needed, and it wasn’t witnessing the end of a cruel femme. Megatron patted his shoulder and walked over to tell Breakdown that he was confining him to below deck until Airachnid was gone.  
  
Nurse Darby looked up at Bumblebee as he approached, holding Jack and Raf closer. Bee kneeled down in front of them and beeped encouragingly at Raf. A few moments later, Breakdown joined them, sitting down heavily.  
  
“Don’t worry kiddos, we’re gonna wait here until the others get back.” He quickly scooped Miko up who protested violently, complaining that Agent Fowler got to go watch but she didn’t. Nurse Darby frowned up at her.  
  
“Agent Fowler has to go as a witness for the United States Government. Now calm down and relax Miko.” Miko pouted but was secretly relieved she was being kept from going. She grew even happier when Bulkhead joined them, earning a curious look from both Bee and Breakdown.  
  
“Nuh-uh, I’m not gonna watch that. She gives me the creeps anyway, I don’t need to watch her die.” He shuddered slightly and Breakdown chuckled softly.  
  
“Yeah, I’m kinda glad the boss ordered me not to go. I probably would have gone, you know, prove I’m tough or somethin’ and woulda had nightmares for weeks. I’m good right here with you guys. And ladies.” He added, winking at Nurse Darby who laughed and rolled her eyes at him.  
  
“I’m just glad that she’s no longer going to be lurking in the shadows. I’ll be able to rest easier knowing she’s no longer after my Jack.”  
  
\----------------------------xXx----------------------------  
  
The next day, the peace talks began. They were long and tedious and often had to be broken up as tensions rose too high. But eventually, progress began to be made. Concessions were made, demands were re-analyzed. Often, it was found that they wanted the same things, they just phrased their requirements in different ways that led to confusion. Through it all, Starsong acted as the voice of calm and reason.  
  
Finally, weeks later, it was done. The war was over. A new form of government was in place. A Prime, a Disciple, and a Guardian. The three would work together to solve disputes and to act as the final say in arguments. The Prime acted as the voice of the people, the connection to traditions and cultures. The Disciple acted as the voice of Primus, reminding of ideals and morals. The Guardian acted as the voice of the laws and was the arm of punishment. While the Disciple was chosen by Primus, the Prime would now be voted on by the people and approved by the Disciple. Together, the Prime and Disciple would choose their Guardian.  
  
It was not a perfect government, but for their small population it would be more than enough. Starsong was the Disciple in this new government. Optimus demanded they make a vote for the Prime. He was the only one surprised when he was voted to continue being the Prime. Megatron was chosen to be the Guardian by Starsong and Optimus and after a long discussion with Starsong, he accepted. Agent Fowler managed to get a plot of land gifted to the Cybertronians to create a colony while they worked to find a way to restore their home-world. It was a long and slow process, but no one was in a real hurry to restore Cybertron; they had time.  
  
Less than a year later, Breakdown’s sparkling was welcomed into the world. The little mechling looked like a mini-Knockout, except his primary color was a beautiful blue and he had gorgeous orange optics. They named him Knockdown and he was adored by everyone. Even Megatron would often be seen walking around the compound with Knockdown on his shoulder.  
During that year, Megatron asked Ratchet to move in with him. It had taken a week to convince Ratchet that Megatron hadn’t been joking and to remove the multitude of dents in Megatron’s helm. Once the misunderstanding was resolved, Megatron and Ratchet got together. Optimus asked Arcee to move in with him and it went much smoother, especially considering Arcee was practically already living with him.  
  
It took another year, but Soundwave finally asked Bumblebee to move in with him. He was greeted with an enthusiastic “Yes”. It was the first word Bumblebee used with his new vocalizer and was the sweetest thing Soundwave had ever heard. During that year, another group of Cybertronians found and joined them. Bladefall instantly hit it off with a seeker named Skywarp while Cloudblast started hanging out with a pair of twins named Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. It surprised everyone when Cloudblast announced he was carrying before Skywarp did the same. Not much later, Megatron admitted he was also carrying.  
  
By the time Arcee announced she was finally carrying, Bulkhead and Wheeljack had settled down with each other and Starsong was ready to give up on Starscream. The seeker had been ignoring her, choosing to hang out with other mechs instead. She managed to hide how hurt she was when Starscream moved in with Dreadwing and announced he was carrying. Sparkling after sparkling was born and each were brought to her for a blessing from Primus’ Disciple.  
  
It was three more years before a new group of Cybertronians joined them. Starsong had resigned herself to being alone, after all, who would ever accept her when she could hear Primus speaking to her in her head. Among the group of Cybertronians were Jazz and Prowl, who were a long established couple. They spent a lot of time with her and she felt comfortable with them. One year later, they asked her to move in with them. She initially declined, thinking they were just pitying her, but after being asked every day for almost three months, she finally agreed, especially since the last time they asked they gave her the best day of her life, literally sweeping her off her feet.  
  
By the end of the tenth year at the compound, there was an established day-care/school for all the sparklings that had been born. Everyone was happy and only became happier as their Disciple finally announced that she, too, was carrying.

  


**Author's Note:**

> My apologies if any of the canon characters ended up being too out of character. I thought about expanding this story and making it into a chapter story, but I kinda like it like this. Again, leave me a comment or give some kudos if you liked it. If you hated it, sorry? But thanks for reading it anyway!


End file.
